Beach Crew’s second regatta of the season took place in Marina Del Ray, California. Hosted by UCLA Rowing, the events took place on Sunday, March 10th, with a forecast of sunny skies and smooth water. Special guest rowers from Orange’s Chapman University joined LBSU for a composite Varsity 8 and a Novice 8 boat.

UCLA Classic held 2k sprints in a total of nine different races. Long Beach, along with Chapman rowers, rowed in the Varsity 8 at 9am. LBSU Novice 8A+ and a composite LBSU/CHAP Novice 8+ rowed at 9:40am. Both the Novice 8’s and Varsity 8 raced in their respective petite finals later on. Finally, the Varsity 4+ competed at 10:30am.

Long Beach Varsity, along with Chapman Varsity oarsmen, Rob Farmer and Finn Grant, placed 4th in the V8 race. Their overall time came to 7:09.2 sec. Continuing to the Petite Final, LBSU and CHAP placed 4th once again. The two Novice 8 boats, LBSU Novice A and LBSU/CHAP composite Novice 8, raced in the 9:40am heat. LBSU Novice A came in 3rd (time: 7:09.14sec) and the LBSU/CHAP Novice 8 came in 4th (time: 8:17.58sec). Both boats raced in the Petite Final; LBSU Novice A took 2nd place with a time of 7:20.57 sec (just 2 seconds behind UCI Novice A!). Unfortunately, the LBSU/CHAP composite Novice 8 did not finish the race due to breakage. Finally, the Varsity 4+ raced and took 2nd place in their heat, chasing after UCLA for first. The Varsity 4+ finished with a time of 7:42.62, with UCLA finishing with a time of 7:39.6sec.

Once again, UCLA’s marina provided beautiful conditions on a clear day. Varsity continues the chase to WIRA, hoping for continued growth. The Novices, some with a semester of experience and some with just a few weeks of training, work together on and off the water, striving to represent LBSU competitively. Additionally, with one Novice boat not finishing from breakage, the new rowers learn to “roll with the punches”, maintaining a positive attitude.

On Sunday, March 3rd, Men’s crew, along with novices recruited this season, drove to the Port of LA for the Gruenberg Cup Race. Hosted annually by USC Men’s Rowing, the nearly straight course provided predictable water conditions for the sprint events.

Beach Crew gathered by the LA water to compete against familiar competitors: USC and SDSU. The event consisted of three total heats: Mixed 8 at 8:00am, Novice 4+ at 9:00am, and Varsity 4+ at 9:20am.. Two LBSU Novice 8’s raced in the first event, the first coming in 4th overall and the second coming in 7th. In the second race, four Novice 4’s competed. LBSU 1N4+ came in 2nd overall with a time of 8:10.5, 16 seconds behind USC’s novices. LBSU 2N4+ followed after, claiming 4th place, while LBSU 3N4+ finished in 6th. With 1st place just within reach for the A boat, the novices were left hungry for more, and the rest remain eager to climb the ranks this season.

The final race sent Beach Crew’s varsity four out on the water, taking 3rd place in their race. Moving forward, varsity continues to put their best effort out on the water, making strides and changes to find rhythm and connection together.

Above: Getting on point! Views from the bow in the Varisty 4+. Captured by second-year coxswain Phoebe Evans.

On the water, the forecasted cloudy weather ensured that the Beach crew’s newest coxswains had the perfect opportunity to learn more about the 2k season and the skills involved. Off the water and by the trailers, the rowers kept busy during downtime in between races. This became the time to discuss and compare the spring season and fall season.

“I expected spring races to be a lot easier than fall races”, Blake Koford, a fall recruit, commented, “…they are much shorter but the intensity required for a 2k makes it much harder than fall races”. Koford rowed two seat in the Novice 8.

As we approach this time of year, we want to give thanks to our community of support, both on and off the water. 2017 brought us continued support of obtaining additional long-term assets, such as the Amy Fuller Vespoli 8+, and several sets of oars. Back in March, we finally celebrated the dedication of the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge, the portion of California State Highway 1 which crosses Alamitos Bay’s Cerritos Channel. From what started as a simple phone call to me, through the process of support of our public dignitaries, and to those who financially-backed the effort, the legacy of Long Beach State’s finest athletes remain strong.

CSULB continues to be an attractive option for incoming students. The campus had 103,605 student applications for fall 2017, the highest in university history. Freshman applications totalled 63,035, one of the highest among CSUs, and transfer applications totalled 31,144, 2 percent higher than last year, and one of the highest in the nation.*

As I write this, I can’t help to say that I’m somewhat sentimental of the past decade of service to this team and the Foundation’s efforts. In case you did not hear, I announced my departure from the board back in October, effective June 30, 2018, the end of the academic year, to pursue other areas of the sport. I have to admit that I’ve been blessed to work with such wonderful people all over the country, some who aren’t even part of the sport. This was something completely unexpected during my tenure at The Beach. I have to admit that while focused on my studies, I learned so much more outside the classroom than I did on campus. It’s probably why former CSULB President, Dr. Robert C. Maxon, quoted, “If the only thing you do in college is go to class, then you have not had the full college experience.” Meeting so many people over the team’s past 60 years, all the way back to our co-founder, has been nothing short of inspiration. This sport relies so much on community, no matter how big or small your institution may be. Having seen so many other collegiate teams across the country, I can say that the BCA is in good hands and that Beach Crew is fortunate to have this community. I can remember all of the challenges of its infancy and the difficulty of reuniting 50 years of athletes at the time. We may not have always agreed on how to make things work, let alone becoming acquainted to the needs of today’s athletes, and wanting to see things in different light. But that is what’s so intriguing to the matter. We all have a story, we found a way, and I am grateful for what we have.

I want everyone to know that while I am around and about the country at events, I will always have a spot in my heart for Long Beach State and this decade-long effort we spent. We will always cross paths.

On February 24, 2018, Beach Crew is slated to celebrate it’s 60th year celebration. I hope to see many of you there.

Before I sign off for the rest of the year, I’d like to remind everyone that if you have not updated your membership for this academic year, please consider that there is still time for a tax deductible donation to the association. Your support is making a huge difference in maintaining a quality rowing team at LBSU. You can still send your $25 membership fee and any other contribution via http://beachcrew.org/give/

On the behalf of the BCA Board of Directors, all of us wish you the best this time of season and into 2018. I look forward to the last six months we have together. See you in the spring.